TALKING over problems on the phone is just as good as doing it in the flesh.
In good news for expats – whose family members and best friends often live overseas – researchers have discovered that issues can be dealt with just as well on the blower.
The team at Cambridge University analysed 5,500 people who had undertaken therapy for depression on the NHS, with approximately half doing it on the phone and half in the flesh.
While both methods were equally successful, phone-based therapy ended up being considerably cheaper.
Professor Peter Jones, who led the study, said access to over the phone therapy can really help individuals feeling depressed.
He added that, at a time when everyone is trying to budget, this sort of therapy is also a cost effective service.